Rain pattered softly against the window, a few drops entering through the open screen. Sungmin looked up from his notebook as a couple drops hit the pad, smearing some of the newly written lyrics. He stood up from the desk, pushing his chair back a little. He placed his hands on the sides of the window, ready to close it. However, something inside told him not to close it.

Was it the sound of the rain coming through the open window? Was it the cool, crisp smell of the water washing away all the dirt in the air? Was it the calmness of the rain?

No. It was something else entirely.

He stared out the window, slowly removing his hands from the pane.

An image of a seventeen year old girl appeared in his mind. She stood leaning towards an opened window to feel the cool air against her cheeks as she listened to the rain outside.

Sungmin sat back down in his seat, staring at the rain. He looked down at the ring on his finger. It used to be big on him when he was a child. Now, it can barely fit on his little finger.

He looked back at the rain outside as he began to twirl the ring absent-mindedly. It was nine years ago...

He could still remember the time when he accidently bumped into her in line at the drinking fountain at recess. Her black hair was short then, scarcely longer than her chin. She was kind of chubby too. That was the first time they met.

He could not forget the times they spent playing on the slides at the playground, waiting for their parents to come and pick them up from school.

He could recall the day when they went to the little fair at school and she won a small plush bunny and gave it to him. He had won a ring, which he in turn, gave to her. She wore it proudly while he carried around the bunny like one who was crowned king.

Then the childhood days melted into the adolescent years. They became good friends. She had let her hair grow longer and it cascaded past her shoulders. She decided to dye it brown and often braided it. Her body started to look different too.

He started to play baseball. She became involved with theatre and encouraged him to sing and act, since she knew that he could...

Sungmin stared down at the notebook on the desk, filled with lyrics and compositions. Was it because of her encouragement or his own drive? Or perhaps a combination of both?

It was during the high school days that things changed. He was taller than her and still was growing a bit more. She had stopped growing taller and her shape had altered a bit. They were best friends for a long time, but he began to observe things about her that he hadn't ever notice before...

... the twinkle in her eye whenever he called her 언니 [unnie] just for fun.

...the way she wrinkled her nose whenever she came across a difficult math problem.

 ...how she used aegyo to try to get him to play the piano for her when she was having a bad day.

...the way her eyes would narrow when he would tell her of his troubles.

...the way she would joke and use aegyo to cheer him up.

Sungmin could remember all this and more:

...the squeal of delight that escaped her as she threw her arms around him when he won the singing competition.

...the smile on his face as they stayed up late studying for a biology exam in his mom's kitchen.

...the blush on her cheeks when they were both partnered to play a couple for a scene they were doing in theatre class.

...the grin on his face when he saw her running toward him after she had come back from holiday.

...the sparkle in her eyes as he said that he was accepted as a trainee for SM Entertainment.

...the swelling of his heart when she agreed to be his girlfriend.

...the sweet tone in her voice whenever she called him 오빠 [oppa].

...the beating of his heart when she really embraced him for the first time.

...the look of happiness on her face when they sat on the park bench together with his arm wrapped around her.

...the butterflies in his stomach as he leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

...the twinkle in her eyes and the blush on her face as he pulled away.

...the warmth of her hand as she reached over and grabbed his.

...the joy as he walked her to her home hand-in-hand, promising to meet each other the next day at the same park.

...the tears that welled up in his eyes when he received her letter, the one that ended it all.

...the shaky hands that held the note which said that her parents were moving her away, because of some trouble with the law.

...the sadness that wrenched at his heart when he read that she was ashamed to have a family such as hers and that she would never be able to have contact with him again, so as not to hurt him.

...the pain in his heart when he pulled out the ring out of the envelope, the one that he had given her a child, sent as a farewell present, thanking him for all the beautiful memories.

...the desperation he felt as he ran to her home to find it completely abandoned.

...the anger he carried within the depths of his soul, trying to find some way to locate her.

...the hurt of trying to forget.

...the way the small ring looked on his little finger.

...the passion he put into his training, knowing she wouldn't want him to quit.

...the determination he possessed to fulfill his dreams, putting in more effort into his training and technique.

...the long hours of work paying off.

...the joyful times he shared with his fellow 형 [hyungs] and 동생 [dongsaengs] as time flew.

...the years of struggle and happiness with his fellow members.

...the moments on stage that he would dance with other girls, trying to surpress a lost memory.

...the successes he and the rest of Super Junior experienced as a group.

...the ring that still stayed on his finger despite his best efforts to remove it.

A few more drops hit the paper as Sungmin sat at the desk, hunched over, his elbows on the table and his fingers laced in his hair. More tears fell from his eyes, cascading down his cheeks and crashing onto the notebook below.

He let out a sigh and stood up, pushing the chair back. He needed some air. He closed the notebook on the desk and turned to grab his coat which he had left on the bed. He snatched a scarf, a hat, and an umbrella and left the dorm with a heavy heart.

He passed building after building, street after street, not paying any attention to where he went. He had no destination in mind. All he wanted was to go, to just keep walking.

He stared at the ground, watching the rain hit the pavement softly, like tears from God going unheeded by everyone else.

He looked up and realized that he had wandered half-way into a park, the same one where they had promised to meet again. 

He kept going, forcing his mind to think about the beauty of the place instead of the memories it held. He admired the flowers, wet with rain. He gazed at the trees above, noticing a particular pair of birds huddling in a nest together, like a married couple snuggling together for warmth. He looked back down again and noticed a bench not too far away. 

A woman sat on the wet bench. Her head was turned, gazing up at the same pair of pairs. Her hair was drenched, hanging limply on her shoulders. Her face was wet and her nose slightly red, probably from the cold. She didn't seem to notice Sungmin's presence.

Sungmin continued walking, slowly moving closer to her. He noticed that she neither had a scarf, nor an umbrella, nor gloves. Being the gentleman that he was, he stopped and offered her what he had. 

"Excuse me, miss. Would you like my umbrella? Or my scarf?" 

She turned to face him, surprised that someone was in front of her. She looked up at him. "Oh, 아니요. 괜찮아요. [no thank you] I am fine--" She stopped speaking, her eyes widening. "오빠[Oppa]? Sungmin 오빠 [oppa]?"

He stared her, his mouth a gape. Could it be? Tears welled up in his eyes. "Minhee 언니 [unnie]?"

Her eyes twinkled in delight and she jumped from her spot on the bench. " 오빠 [Oppa]!" She threw her arms around him. 

He wrapped his arms around her gently, pulling her closer to him, as if afraid that this mirage will disappear from his eyes at any moment. 

"미안해[Mianhae]..." she whispered into his shoulder. 

His fingers wandered to her damp hair, it gently. "Don't be."

He pulled her away from him to take a good look at her face. He smiled down at the face, which he once was so familiar with. His hand gently moved up to her, brushing away the tears softly from her eyes. He smiled at her gently. "You're here now."

She smiled up at him, her lip slightly trembling. "Am I too late?"

Sungmin reached down, taking her hands in his. They were ice cold from the frigid air and rain. He began to rub them in his hands, trying to warm them. He let go of her hands and unraveled the scarf around his neck. He draped it around her neck, moving her hair gently out of the way. He tied a knot in the scarf near her neck, pausing slightly as he noticed the blush rising in her cheeks. He let go of the scarf and took off one of his gloves, placing it on one of her hands. He took her other hand in his and shoved them in his pocket. 

 "Ani," he finally said. "It's not too late, but I'm never letting you leave my sight again." He smiled, looking down at her. He could feel her hand slowly start to warm in his pocket "Let's go, my cute Minhee."

She smiled, feeling the warmth of his hand and something that was wrapped around his little finger. Her eyes twinkled, knowing exactly what it was. "Where are we going?" she asked, looking up at him curiously as he held the umbrella over them as they began walking.